


An Art and a Science

by Yamx



Series: Those We Love the Best [8]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-28
Updated: 2011-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-28 07:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/305244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamx/pseuds/Yamx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's more than just a game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Art and a Science

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wendymr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendymr/gifts).



> Written as a stocking stuffer for Wendymr.
> 
> This is set early in the _Those We Love the Best_ -verse.

  
**  
An Art and a Science   
**   


  


> _Enriching your relationships is an art and a science, just like building a bridge or playing an instrument. It takes skill and practice and daily application of those skills._
> 
> _Love comes naturally. Continued devotion takes a lifetime of practice._
> 
> _~~John Gray_

Jack and the Doctor are lying under the TARDIS console, realigning the temporal-spatial relay circuits. The Doctor's had an idea how to make her use energy more efficiently and, possibly, make landings smoother ("Not that there's anything wrong with our landings now, mind you!").

Jack's humming. He's finally understood the principle of intra-dimensional looping – something he thought he'd never get when the Doctor first explained. But seeing the inner workings of the TARDIS has made the concept so much clearer.

When he managed to loop his first circuit without any help, the Doctor squeezed his shoulder and grinned at him. "'Bout time you caught on," he said, but the proud tone had taken the sting out of the words. Then he tossed him the sonic screwdriver and said, "Well, then, looks like you can handle the rest of them," and went on to fiddle with the circuit's output matrix instead. An hour later, Jack's still feels like he's floating on clouds.

It's funny how in a few months with the Doctor, he's picked up more about time and space on the fly than he learned in years of dedicated study at the Time Agency Academy. (And a lot of what he learned there turned out to be completely wrong, of course. So wrong, in fact, that the Doctor's taken to referring to the place as "Fairy Tale Central," which makes Jack chuckle more than it probably should.)

He frowns at the next circuit. It's self-referential, and he's not quite sure how to account for that in the calibration. He can feel the Doctor watching him. Undoubtedly, the Time Lord will stop him before he can do any real damage to the ship while in flight, but for now, the Doctor's giving him time to work it out himself.

Jack bites his lip. He can do this. If the circuit refers back to itself, that means it loops through the same dimensions twice, so... Jack closes his eyes, trying to picture it – as well as one can picture anything twelve-dimensional with a human brain. He's close to the answer. He can almost see it. All he has to do is–

"Guys?" Rose's voice comes from beyond the console.

Jack bites back a curse. He almost had it. The Doctor pats his shoulder in a way that seems to say _You'll get there, lad._ Aloud, he says, "Yes?"

"Could you... come out for a sec?" She sounds tense, but like she's trying to hide it.

They exchange a glance and push themselves out. "What's wrong, Rose?" Jack asks, worriedly.

"Wrong?" Her eyes widen. "Nothing! I just... I was reading a magazine–" She holds up a copy of _Young Miss_ "–an' they have this really fun idea for a game I thought we could play."

"Game?" The Doctor frowns. "Not much into games, me."

Rose pushes on. "It's not just a game. It's for couples. But, I mean, we can adjust it."

Jack hopes that this might have something to do with sex. "What kind of game?" he asks with a leer.

Rose rolls her eyes. "Not _that_ kind. It's about... communication."

Now the Doctor rolls his eyes and opens his mouth for what would doubtlessly be a snide comment. Jack elbows him sharply and smiles at Rose. "Tell me more."

"Well." She swallows, and her eyes flick towards the door. "Both partners – or, you know, every partner—tells the other—others—three things that annoy them about them. An' there's no getting defensive, 'cause that's the game, yeah? You just say your piece an' that's it."

The Doctor frowns. "That's bloody—"

"Brilliant!" Jack interrupts. "Sounds like fun. Let's try it."

The Doctor looks at him in complete confusion but thankfully holds his peace. Rose smiles shyly. "Yeah?"

"Of course! Say, why don't you go put the kettle on? The Doctor and I have to tighten some things up before we can leave, but we'll be along in a few minutes, okay?"

"All right," Rose says and leaves for the kitchen.

The Doctor turns to him. "What the bloody hell was that about? You can't tell me you really think that stupid magazine game sounds like fun."

Jack shakes his head, smiling indulgently. "Oh, Doctor. So naive."

"Naive?" The Doctor sputters. "That rag—"

"Doctor," Jack begins, patiently. "Is Rose the type to follow every stupid fad a magazine tells her to?"

"Course not! She's too fantastic to—"

"Exactly. And does this sound like the type of 'game' a magazine would suggest, anyway?"

"Wouldn't know, would I?" He crosses his arms. "Don't exactly read a lot of girly magazines."

"Well." Jack grins. "I do. Rose leaves them lying around everywhere after all. And some of the pictures..." He leers. "In fact, I've read the very one she was holding up right now, and there's no 'Tell each other what annoys you' game in there."

Now the Doctor's frown changes to one of confusion. "Then why would she..."

"Exactly. Why would she? Doctor, Rose is smart and capable and fantastic, but she's also very, very young. And she's been brought up in a time when the cultural prejudice is that relationships should be easy because if you love each other, everything else falls into place."

"That's rubbish."

"Of course it is." Jack shrugs. "But it's what Rose believes. So what I think is, there's something that's annoying Rose about one of us. Or, let's face it, probably about me. And this is the only way she can think of to bring it up."

The Doctor raises his eyebrows. "If she went to all the trouble of inventing this 'game'..."

"...it's probably been annoying her for a while, yes. So I'd rather know. Wouldn't you?"

The Doctor nods. "Yeah..." He looks at Jack sheepishly. "Good call."

Jack grins and squeezes his shoulder. "About time you caught on."

The Doctor rolls his eyes. "Careful or you'll get a smacking."

Jack chuckles. "Promise?"

He huffs. "What am I supposed to tell her when she asks me what annoys me about you?"

Jack laughs. "Come on. I can think of five things off the top of my head."

"I can think of nine. But that's just it. You _know_ already, and she's probably heard me tell you." He shakes his head. "Should be something new if we want her to think we're taking this seriously."

Jack cocks his head. "You could tell me you find my ass annoyingly well-proportioned," he suggests, half-turning and flexing the body part in question.

The Doctor smacks his hand down hard enough that Jack can feel the bite through his jeans – which is exactly as hard as Jack likes it. "Or that I think your ass looks annoyingly unsmacked much of the time," he says with a grin.

Jack laughs and throws an arm around the Doctor's shoulders. "Well, you've got no one but yourself to blame for that!"

***

Rose has gone all out. The table's laden with tea, milk, sugar, honey, and a wide selection of finger sandwiches and biscuits. The Doctor notes a suspicious abundance of Jaffa cakes and suppresses a frown. Unlike Jack, he's not at all certain that it isn't him Rose has an ongoing complaint about, and this doesn't bode well. Whatever it is, he hopes he can fix it.

Jack whistles. "Wow. This looks fantastic. Thank you, Rose." He kisses her cheek before taking his usual place.

The Doctor forces a grin and rubs his hands. "That it does. Now, let's play this game. Can't wait."

Rose looks at him, startled. Clearly, he's overdone the fake enthusiasm. He shrugs, trying for nonchalant. "Jack's talked me into it. Charming cultural artifact from your time. Always happy to try new things, me." Well, that's basically true. And Rose's shy smile is a more than adequate reward. She puts her arms around him, and he pulls her close.

"Thanks," she whispers.

He nods and sits down, reaching for a Jaffa cake to hide his anxiety. Jack pushes a mug of tea, mixed with exactly the right amount of milk and sugar, in front of him. The Doctor gives him a grateful glance as he takes a sip.

"So," Jack asks, and damn it all if the lad doesn't manage to project actual excitement at the prospect of playing this daft game. "How do we start?"

"Well, we're each supposed to say three things, so I figured maybe we'd go round? One thing each, then the next person?" Rose suggests.

"Sure! Can I start?" Jack asks cheerfully.

Rose looks relieved. "Yes, do."

"Okay..." Jack looks at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Doctor, it annoys me that you always sort the tools according to the Gallifreyan alphabet. I can never find anything!"

Oh. That's... a good point, actually. Of course, he's sorted his tools like that for several hundred years, but he's never had a companion before who used them as much as Jack does. And it's not like it'd be hard for him to get used to a new arrangement. Genius brain and all. He nods. "I can fix that."

"And Rose... " Jack continues, "I wish you wouldn't wear so much make-up." Rose looks up sharply, and Jack holds out a hand. "It's your face and your choice, but you're so beautiful, and all of that kohl and blush hides it. A bit of well-applied make-up can be a wonderful thing, but... I wish you'd let me show you. I swear, I could make you look twice as gorgeous with half the amount of work." The Doctor would never have said it, but privately he agrees. He thinks Rose looks her best in the morning, half-asleep and with bed hair. So does Jack, for that matter.

The Doctor sees Rose swallow. She takes a deep breath and nods. "We'll try. But if I don't like it–"

"I'll never mention it again." Jack smiles.

"Okay, my turn." Rose takes a deep breath. The Doctor steels himself.

But then Rose seems to hesitate, biting her lips. "This one's sort of for both of you," she finally says. "Don't leave the bloody toilet seat up all the time."

The Doctor frowns, confused. Surely that can't be the big issue? She must be saving it for the next round.

Jack looks equally confused. "Huh?"

"When I go to the loo at night I don't always remember to check if the seat's down, and then I–" She gestures vaguely in the direction of her bum.

"Oh. You mean it doesn't fold down automatically when you go in?" Jack sounds honestly perplexed. True, by Jack's time user need detectors would be pretty standard. And of course the Doctor could program the TARDIS to do the same—but he's always thought it was a ridiculous thing to bother his ship with.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Jack says honestly. "I'll remember." The Doctor nods, embarrassed. It's been so long since he's shared a bedroom, and hence a bathroom, with anyone, he just didn't think about it.

Rose smiles. "Right, then." She looks at him. "Your turn."

"Well, Jack..." He tries to think of something he hasn't already told him a few dozen times. Looking up at his companion, it hits him. "I hate that new haircut."

Jack looks startled, drawing a hand through his short hair. "Really?"

"Yeah. Makes you look like a bloody hedgehog."

Rose covers her mouth with both hands in a desperate attempt to smother her giggles.

Jack looks back and forth between them. "I take it this is a majority opinion?" He looks entirely unruffled.

Rose nods. She can't hold the giggles back any longer.

Jack grins. "Guess I'll grow it out again, then." He winks at the Doctor. "One of us should."

The Doctor grins back. Well, that was easy. He turns to Rose, and stops. He really doesn’t know what to say. There are a thing or two that he really does find annoying sometimes—like how she can't always pick up on his plans as quickly as Jack can—but that's not her fault, and saying so would only hurt her. She's bright, just from a primitive time. She'd blame herself for quitting school, but the truth is, the things he'd like her to know even the Nobel Laureates of her time couldn't have taught her. And most of the time, he enjoys explaining and teaching her.

But she's looking at him expectantly, so he has to say something. "I wish you wouldn't leave your magazines lying around all over the place," he says lamely. He doesn’t give a damn if she does, but it's all he can think of.

She nods readily. "I'll keep them in my own room."

"Speaking of your own room," Jack begins, "there actually is something I've been meaning to bring up. And it's directed at both of you, too."

The Doctor looks at him searchingly. Jack seems earnest, but not upset. Good.

"I'd... like to have my own room."

Rose wrinkles her forehead. "You do."

Jack laughs. "You mean the room that we all sleep in every night? That has your cosmetics all over the bathroom and his gadgets all over the floor?" He winks.

"So... you don't want us to sleep there anymore?" Rose sounds like she's trying to hide her hurt, but it shows in her eyes.

"God, no! That's not it at all." Jack takes her hands. "Rose, I love you, and I want to share a bed with you." A brief glance at the Doctor. "Both of you." The Doctor nods. He understands where Jack is going.

Jack kisses Rose's knuckles and continues. "I'd just like to have a room for myself, too, you know? A place to keep my stuff and find it where I left it. Somewhere where I can close the door when I need some alone time and have people knock before they come in." He looks almost apologetic. "Like you have."

The Doctor's beginning to think that this silly game might actually be good for something. Because clearly, this has been bothering Jack for a while, but apparently not enough to bring it up without prompting. "Easy enough." He shrugs. "Either we move all our stuff out of your room an' find a new room for the three of us to use, or we keep our room as it is and you just pick another bedroom to be all yours."

Jack smiles softly. "I like our room."

"Me too," Rose nods.

"Right then. Pick a room. Any that strikes your fancy. Don't worry about location, I can move it where you want it." Such an easy fix. He wishes Jack had spoken up sooner. It may not have been a terrible hardship on him, but the Doctor sees now that not having any private place to himself must have been, at the very least, an ongoing annoyance.

"Thanks." Jack smiles gratefully. "Been meaning to ask but somehow never thought of it when we weren't busy." He grins at Rose. "Good thing you suggested this game."

Rose smiles at him. "My turn again." She looks at the Doctor, then her eyes quickly flick to Jack.

Well, dammit. He knew it. He _knew_ it was him. The Doctor takes a deep breath, trying to relax. _I'll fix it. Whatever is is, I can fix it. For her._

He barely hears Rose saying something about Jack not wearing pink when they go to her time, Jack protesting that it brings out his eyes, and Rose trying to explain that most of her contemporaries won't be paying attention to his eyes while he's wearing _hot flamingo_.

Then Rose turns to him, and he can see that whatever she's about to say has been weighing on her for a while.

"Doctor, I..." She takes his hand but looks away.

He squeezes hers gently. "Yeah?"

Rose takes a deep breath. "I wish you weren't such a git to Jack all the time."

"What?" It's Jack voice, not his. 'Cause he's speechless.

Rose looks to Jack. "I know you put up with it well, but... it's just not right."

Jack looks as mystified as the Doctor feels. "Rose, I won't deny that the Doctor can be a git—"

"I won't either," the Doctor interjects.

"—but 'all the time'?"

"Oh, Jack!" Rose slaps the table. "Look at the way he treats you compared to the way he treats me."

Oh. Understanding dawns.

Rose gestures between herself and Jack. "He's always—well, most of the time—patient and nice with me. You, he snaps at and growls at and smacks..."

Jack grins. "And he better not stop."

The Doctor looks from Rose to Jack and back. "Jack, if you have complaints..."

"When I have complaints, you hear about them." Jack takes one of Rose's hands between both of his. "Rose, I love that you worry about me. But... you and I, we're very different people. All three of us are."

Rose shifts in her seat. "But if we're a triad, shouldn't things be... equal?"

"Some things. We should all love each other equally, we should all be equal partners in this relationship. That doesn't mean everything has to be the same. You and I are different. So our relationships to the Doctor—and his relationships to us—are different. And that's okay. No, actually, that's brilliant."

"'S true," the Doctor says. "I treat you differently 'cause... well, I _try_ to treat both of you the way you like to be treated."

"Speaking for myself, you're succeeding." Jack sends him a grin.

Rose nods. "Me, too. But Jack... You _like_ being snapped at?"

He shrugs. "Half the time he doesn't mean it. It's just a way to blow off steam. It's how we relate." His grin turns into a leer. "And I love the smacks."

Rose blushes. "I wouldn't."

"That's why I don't do it to you." The Doctor puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently. "To you, it'd be a smack. To Jack, it's a sign that he's mine."

Jack's eyes widen as he ponders this. "Never thought about it that way, but yeah. Plenty of people annoy you. Most of them get Oncoming Stormed, not smacked on the ass." He grins. "Of course, I also take it as a compliment about the shapeliness of my buttocks."

The Doctor rolls his eyes but doesn't contradict. Jack does have a fine arse. He'd never say it, but he likes it better than Rose's, even.

Jack turns back to Rose. "A triad's about three relationships of two people as much as about one relationship of three." He smiles. "They all need to work, and that usually means they can't all be the same."

Rose bites her lips. "'Cause each one has a different combination of people in it?"

"Exactly."

The Doctor takes Rose's free hand. "It's sort of like if you want to get a nail in the wall, you use a hammer, and that's the perfect tool for the job. But if you want to fix a leaky pipe, you need a wrench. Use the hammer and you end up with an even leakier pipe."

The humans stare at him. There are lights dancing in Jack's eyes.

"What?" he asks, and sees Rose bite back a giggle.

Jack chuckles. "You do realize that in this analogy, I'm a nail and Rose is a leaky pipe?"

He sputters. "I didn't mean—"

Rose bursts out laughing, and Jack follows. The Doctor rubs his neck. "All right, maybe not the _best_ analogy..." he mutters.

Jack's eyes turn serious as he looks at Rose. "This has been bothering you for a while, hasn't it?"

Rose shrugs, smiling now that the tension's broken. "I was being stupid. It's just... I told you guys about that bloke I left school for, Jimmy Stone? He just... well, he sort of treated me rough sometimes, and..."

The Doctor freezes. He hadn't thought about that. "Rose, if it really bothers you, I won't—"

"No!" Her eyes widen and she grabs his hand. "If it doesn't bother Jack, it doesn't bother me. I just thought maybe it did and he didn't want to say anything."

Jack shakes his head. "If it bothered me, I would say something."

This, the Doctor realizes, is the crux of the matter. And here's something that honestly does annoy him about Rose.

He clears his throat. "Is it my turn now?"

They look at him. "Doctor," Jack says, "I think the game's outlived its usefulness."

He shakes his head. "No. You each had two turns. I get another."

Jack cocks his head. "Shoot." Rose nods.

"Rose." He looks her straight in the eyes. "Trust us a little."

Her eyes widen. "I trust you with my life."

"With your life, yes. But not with... stuff. Stuff like this. You had to invent a whole silly game just to tell us what bothers you."

She looks at her hands, then back at him. "Thought it'd be easier."

The Doctor shakes his head. "It's easier if you just say what annoys you, when it does. No use letting things fester. Well, unless we're in the middle of running for our lives or something."

Rose nods. "I'll try."

Jack sighs. "Honey, if you say 'I'll try,' the Doctor and I will always have to worry that we're somehow hurting you or upsetting you and you're not telling us."

She looks at her hands. "Oh."

"Jack's right. Need to know you'll tell me if you're upset or I'll start second-guessing every word I say." What is it with apes and not speaking up? He flashes back to the time Barbara didn't want to tell anyone that she'd been poisoned. They could have lost her if he hadn't figured it out in the nick of time.

Rose looks at him, then Jack, and sits up straighter. "You're right. I'll say something next time. I promise." She looks entirely too chastised for the Doctor's liking. Luckily, he has another turn.

"And you." The Doctor turns to Jack. He curves up the corner of his mouth, telegraphing his intent. "Want to know what annoys me about you?"

"Yes." Jack grins.

The Doctor turns his smile into a leer. "You're still dressed."

Rose starts laughing, and Jack's eyes turn dark. He licks his lips. "If it annoys you, fix it."

And they do.

The End


End file.
